Guilty Hearts
by shuusetsu
Summary: Takahashi Misaki killed his parents. Everyone believe so for him to get his inheritance early. A lazy, low-ranking, money-seeking lawyer in the name of Usami Akihiko came to defend this 17-year-old murderer, thinking this was a jackpot while eyeing the murderer's brother with lust instead.
1. Blood Stains

_**note**__: this may be disturbing, too mature or too psychological for some._

* * *

**Guilty Hearts**

* * *

_It was nine in the evening. Our table was set like there was a feast. It has always been. But that particular Thursday night was my seventeenth birthday. _

_It was the birthday I would never forget._

_I could remember all those balloons tied around the corners of the antique chairs. I was no longer a kid but my parents still took the trouble to do it. It didn't match well with the expensive chandelier hanging above our long table though. It was a twelve-seater, but there were only the three of us; my dad, my mom, and my self. They even sent away our house helps for this 'intimate' bonding, saying they just want to make up to me. My brother was away on a business trip, he just sent me a special "Za-Kan" figurine that I thought was already out of stock._

_Both of my parents were extremely busy, never did we do any family activities. That was the first. My multibillionaire dad was all smiles as he pointed at the creamy white chocolate cake before me. _

_"Come on Misaki, blow the candle...blow the candle," he said excitedly._

_"Darling you're being so childish..." my mom laughed after an elegant sip of her Dom Perignon Platinum._

_"Make a wish..." my dad urgently told me. "Make a wish first."_

_Me, wearing a tailored, dark-bluish suit just for the occasion smiled awkwardly. I inched slowly towards my small, cute, white cake. I even took another sweeping glance of my parents' faces as I push myself forward to that one candle shaped in number '17'._

_My mom was very pretty. That was what I thought. Her socialite friends often told me that I probably must have been born incorrectly. They said my genes took a wrong turn for forming the equipments of a male, instead of being a female. _

_I wasn't offended. After all I didn't understand what they were saying._

_All I know was, if we were not rich, I wouldn't look 'pretty'. Money glowed on my skin. That made a whole lot of difference. _

_My dad was the opposite of my mom. How much delicate my mom was, was how commanding my dad's presence was. He was a huge man. A very huge man. I wondered if all dads were as big as him. _

_I got nothing of his manliness or brute strenght. I didn't get any since he wasn't my real father. _

_I didn't know if I was really good-looking, but I am proud of my eyes. Striking Emerald hues that I got from my real father. My step-dad often joked that perhaps, the creator was a bit too lazy to put eyes on me he shoved emerald stones instead._

_"Hey...the candle's melting!" my step-dad whined. "Hurry up...I wanna eat already!"_

_My mom's gigglings were like a soft chime._

_I closed my eyes as I was drawing a deep breath. I closed my eyes very gently and cautiously. I was a spoiled brat to begin with. I get what I want and the things I don't want without me asking. So wishes weren't real for me._

_This night was different. I had one wish I wanted to happen. I could think nothing but that._

_As I drew nearer to my cake, the gentle warmth of the candle hit my skin. My closed lids played this colors of yellow and green behind a black background._

_I whispered my wish inaudibly and sincerely in the air._

_I opened my eyes once again. And then we ate, chatting all nonsense stuff any normal family I guess would talk about._

_I remember I want to get something from my room. A sword. This thin scrap of shining metal I use for my classes for Fencing. I excused my self for a few minutes and came back. I don't remember why I wanted to get that in the first place. Maybe...I don't really remember._

_Everything around me suddenly was covered in black. I just got back from my room and was already near our dining area._

_"Mom?" I called, sensing my way back to the table. "Dad?"_

_I slowly inched forward, careful not to hit a wall or a five-million yen vase my mom loved collecting. I don't know, perhaps I was really clumsy. I hit my foot somewhere and slipped on the floor. My grip on my sword loosened. It's clanking was loud against our tiled floors. I scrambled to my feet to pick it up. Feeling it's cold surface against my warm palms, I gripped the sword's handle again tightly._

_A black-out during my birthday occurred, I thought this was something of a bad omen. _

_It lasted for less than five minutes. Or maybe longer. I don't know. When you're in the dark, many things happen. Time seemed so unreal in the dark. Maybe I was asleep. Most of the time I was in a daze, so I really couldn't tell. I wasn't really sure. _

_When the lights turned back, my cake wasn't white anymore._

_Red. Everywhere was covered in red. The table, the food, my balloons were stained with this glowing color. I felt then something sticky in between my fingers. My hand holding my sword for Fencing class was drenched with something.. My sword looked like I just dipped it in blood.._

_I slowly looked towards the table which wasn't really far from me._

_My mom's head was hanging awkwardly on the chair's head rest. This gaping hole on her chest was a river of blood falling down to the white tiled floor. _

_My step-dad's chest had the same hole, I thought I could see right through it._

_I was shocked beyond words. It was like a dream of some sort. Everything seemed so unreal. _

_I slowly stepped back. I couldn't hardly feel my feet as I took little steps. My finger tips dug into my palms, the sticky sword handle making it's form visible on my skin. _

_Without knowing, a tear fell from the corner of my right eye._

_Like I said, it was the birthday I would never forget._

_This was what I wished for. It has been instantly granted._

_And I couldn't think of anything else anymore._

* * *

Men in black suit hovered above the fragile, ghost-looking heir of a wealthy couple. His name? Takahashi Misaki. This teen who just turned seventeen a couple of hours ago was being followed by numerous television reporters, writers and the like. His mosaic-ed face from a school photo flashing on the TV screens nationwide.

"Please? Takahashi-kun? Hey? Why did you kill your parents?!" shouted the news reporter, almost slipping as he made his way into the barricade.

The teen being asked just stared on the floor as he was half-ushered, half-dragged to somewhere. His hands felt like there was sandpaper on it. The blood of his parents had dried on his palms.

The hallway where they were was very bright. The walls were made of one-way mirrors. When Misaki had the chance to lift his eyes towards a small space from the people around him to the wall, he cringed at the sight he saw. Bloodshot eyes, messy hair, pale-ghostly complexion, and his fingers were dark with the dried liquid.

"Please, move hurriedly," a very deep and stern voice commanded, pushing Misaki by the shoulder to continue.

A heavy, oak-door stood proudly at the end of that long and spacious hallway. It made the youngest person in the place remember a door to heaven. It opened mightily to let the group of police enter. When it closed just as strongly behind them, all noise disappeared. It was replaced by a painful silence, as everyone bore a hole on the brunette's face.

A red-haired woman, slender and kind-looking started scribbling notes on her small notebook. She was preparing herself for sleepless nights by this moment. She sucked her breath and felt sad. How can a young, barely an adult kill his parents in that brutal kind of way?

"Hey, Aikawa."

"Yes?" the redhead glanced up, looking at her senior.

"How's it going?"

"Nothing much," Aikawa replied. "Takahashi isn't talking."

The old man stroked his chin, feeling a bit sympathetic. "The kid must be in shock. Kids from a wealthy family have a world of their own you know. I've seen a lot of cases like this...what a sad world."

He then turned his small, grey-hued eyes at the woman police officer before him. All grandfatherly aura gone, clearly stating 'business'. "The bodies were already being autopsied. They died instantly heads almost unattached...and I heard the brother from the business trip is on his way here."

Misaki glanced at the pure white room. It was painful in his eyes to see the contrast of the dark suits the men was wearing. He found an escape though from looking at the only female in that large room who was wearing a white, crumpled blouse with a pencil-cut skirt.

Aikawa felt a heavy stare on her back and turned around. She felt her heart race when she realized that the 'main suspect' of the Takahashi Tycoon's death was the one looking at her. And not missing anymore seconds, she approached the kid, sitting on a chair rigidly.

"Hello...?" she said very cautiously. "Can I sit with you?"

Misaki just nodded.

"Uhm...do you feel pain anywhere?" the woman asked, trying to get the underaged suspect's trust first. As a female in that area, she was left mostly of the job, talking to kids and young girls involved with serious cases. There was just this 'motherly' approach when the woman does the questioning than when it was done by men with grim faces.

Misaki shook his head slightly.

Aikawa drew a deep breath. "You see, your finger prints were all over the weapon used against your parents. We could do something to fix this up if you try cooperating..."

The kid's green eyes just stared blankly at the woman. It was making Aikawa wonder if the kid was actually with her.

"Did you do it?"

All the men in that room seemed to have stopped breathing. They were waiting for the answer that will seal the kid's fate.

The boy opened his delicate mouth ready to answer. But before he could even give a reply, the huge doors opened. A tall man in an expensive suit rushed towards where the teen was sitting. It all happened too fast. No one was able to stop him. Takahashi Takahiro slapped the boy hard on the face the kid instantly fell on the floor. All cameras captured the brother to brother contact, aired simultaneously nationwide.

"Wait! Sir!" Aikawa shouted, helping the boy back on his feet.

"MISAKI!?" the voice of the pained brother roared in the place. He clearly had been crying. His eyes were swollen and puffy. His breath shallow as if someone was strangling him. "WHY?!"

The man has already been briefed of the initial results of the investigations on his way from his job. He knew all too well that their family was celebrating his younger brother's birthday. What he didn't know was that the boy pursposely took a weapon for his Fencing class. And when a short black-out occured, took the opportunity to slash their parents dead. There was no other person in their mansion. There was no sign of forced entry. And most of all, the eyewitnesses, the househelps who came back to sneak in their room to get a forgotten wallet, saw the kid with the drenched in blood sword with their own eyes. They couldn't believe it.

Takahiro walked over the shaking boy and grabbed him on both shoulders. Their faces almost touching.

"Why?" he whispered. "I didn't want to believe this at all...I was even saying this is all a mistake...but..." Takahiro started pounding on the younger one's thin chest. "Look at you..."

The brother older by ten years started shaking the kid as if doing so would make the truth come-out. The men came over and started extracting Takahiro away from the younger one.

"I'm going crazy..." Takahiro whispered as he was being led away. "I'm seriously going to go crazy..."

Once the brother had been taken out of the large room, the eyes once more bored at the suspect. They couldn't help but feel pity for the older brother who must be torn between pursuing a case against his brother. Nevertheless, this case, whether the brother does something or not, was a case the people maintaining law would not let off. People, very important people were killed. And whether it was a minor or not, wealthy or not who did it, they would face the law sooner or later.

"Tsk..." one thin man scoffed. "That brat didn't even shed a tear...if we ever let a juvenile like that free...who knows what he could do when he gets older?"

Aikawa blocked Misaki's view and smiled forcefully. "Don't pay attention to them. Unless the court finds you guilty, no one will be able to do you any harm...okay?"

Misaki blinked at the woman. "It's okay..." he whispered. "...I killed them."

Aikawa felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"I killed them..." Misaki repeated as he glanced at his balled fists. "...probably..."

* * *

His office was a dump. Not that it only looked like one, but it smelled like one too with the awful lingering cigarette smoke that had seethed deep into the wallpapers. No amount of air fresheners could ward off the stench.

The office has one receiving area. The small table was cluttered with folders and newspapers. The long sofa was as littered the same.

A folding paper panel was the acting divider from the receiving area to the 'office' itself. The outside was just a preview of what was inside it. The nameplate 'Atty. Usami Akihiko' could no longer be found. Not like he cared. The man mostly handled cheapskate cases that he didn't care for his office's appearance anymore.

"Shit..." he hissed between his lips with a cigarette moving up and down. "I think I saw that remote over here..."

It was early morning. He had stayed in his office doing 'business' with another younger male. He was what other people would call 'queer' and he was so open about it. And though many find it disturbing, most people who have no money to represent them in courts had no choice but to call for his help. Certainly, he didn't have that good records as a lawyer too. Most often than not, the case he holds loses.

When business was low, his law office becomes his harem. He protects the law, but with carnal lust, even for him there wasn't any.

He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and rummaged into the newspapers and folders on the sofa. The TV was on but he didn't like the forever on-going news like it was the only news worthy to be aired that time.

_"Takahashi Takahiro is finally going to have a say on his side..." _a woman reporter announced. She looked tired in the camera lens Usami remarked coldly. But when the camera darted to Takahashi Takahiro, Usami stopped from searching the remote. That man, that wealthy man was dancing on the top of his list as his 'type'.

_"Takahashi-san...is it true that this likely Parricide against your brother will be proceeding?"_

The man had tired eyes as he looked back into the cameras. To Usami, it was as if it had pierced him right through from the flat screen TV. "_He is still my brother however this will turn out..." _he smiled weakly which made Usami stepped closer to the screen. _"...I can only let everything in the hands of the law now..."_

Usami grinned. "Such a nice brother you are, aren't you?"

He continued watching the news and the other things related to the 'murder case' of the year. He was having this wishful thinking of working for the Takahashi man and somehow be able to capture him. Too bad, lowlife lawyers like him could just dream on.

"Honestly...when will I get rich clients?" Usami asked jokingly to himself. He wasn't really discontent with what he was doing. Truthfully, he stayed on that side because he didn't want much trouble. Suffice to say, he just didn't have that passion. The word 'passion' just didn't suit him well.

When the news-report cut into a break and a number of commercials started before Usami's eyes, the man cursed. He was willing to turn his office upside down just to find that TV remote. His phone rang then.

It took then man another three minutes to locate his phone on his cluttered table.

"Yes. Usami AKihiko here."

_"I've got a client for you."_

Usami smiled. "I was just thinking working for Takahashi Takahiro you know. Looks good and nice..."

_"Stop being a pervert_," the voice of a woman scolded. "_You're not really far though. You'll represent the accused, the younger brother. Takahashi Misaki."_

He choked on the last drag of his smoke. The cigarette in Usami's lips fell on the floor. He hastily stepped on it but it already left a burnt mark on the wooden, unshiny floors. "What?"

The man grimaced, trying to remember the child's face. All of the videos or photos of Takahashi Misaki circling around have a mosaic on the face to keep the minor from being seen. So Usami was less enthusiastic. Teenagers, love interest or not, were reeking of immaturity that was only cute at first. It becomes a pain later on.

"How the hell did that happen?"

_"I recommended you."_

"Aikawa...that is a huge case with all the fucking cameras around. I refuse."

The woman sounded impatient. _"Do you seriously hear yourself? A lawyer refuses a client? Have you no shame?"_

"Tsk..." the man fumbled on a box of cigarette, his breakfast it seemed. "You know the answer to that," he replied in a cold manner. "Well...if I learn how much he would be paying me, I would do it."

Usami heard a sound of something slamming against a wooden table. He could imagine it to be Aikawa's hand. She was a lecture mate at one of his classes back in the university days.

_"He's money and everything that is in his name are forcefully held and frozen. So you'd have to represent him without fees."_

"What? Can't he ask for brother dear?" Usami asked, sitting on the edge of his table. "Why the hell do I have to be a charity in this high-profile case?"

_"Usami, the kid wouldn't accept anything from the brother. Says he couldn't impose on him after all that he's done."_

Knitting his fine brows, Usami sighed. "What's the use of representing the suspect if he is already admitting 'what he's done'? Such a waste of time. Just haul him to a facility already."

_"Man! How insensitive can you be?!" _the woman screamed. _"Whether the boy killed his parents or not, he still has a right to present his side. And I recommended you because the kid needed someone out of their circle."_

"Out of their circle? Are you mocking me?"

_"No! Just think about it! Greedy people are already flocking around the brothers as if betting! Besides...you may be a fail for a lawyer but you have strong intuition about these things...I feel that something isn't right about Takahashi-kun."_

"Oi...you're the police here. You're even one of the first ones to find the evidence which that crazy brat used. Now you're saying he's innocent?"

_"Usami...come on...stop being hard to get! It's so not like you! Please? Besides, I didn't say he's innocent! It's like he doesn't really get his position and accepts everything thrown at him. He wouldn't even cry. That's not normal for a young person..."_

"Maybe he needs a psychiatrist, not a defense lawyer."

_"Can your conscience let the poor soul be removed of his freedom?"_

_"Honestly, I don't care..." _Usami thought. He stepped on his cigarette once more annoyed. He looked around his office for a dump with no clients for a long time now. He glanced at the bills on the top of a steel cabinet. He had been skipping office rent for a while now as well. He looked out the window which needed repairing. And he looked at the office where he needed another person as a secretary, but had no much financial capacity to hire one.

He sighed. "If I represent him, whether he wins or loses...I'd still get paid at least in the end right?"

_"You heartless bastard..."_

"What? Practicality is my rule," Usami grumbled. "Being a lawyer sounds so fucking glamorous but it doesn't apply to everyone. Besides, he's the accused. That's a lot of work."

_"Of course you will be paid,"_ Aikawa replied tiredly. " _Not just now."_

Usami waited for the second-hand of the wall clock before him to complete its turn before replying. "Okay fine. I'll take it."

* * *

When Usami stepped out of his car, he squinted at the palace-like mansion before him. The vast gardens filled with CCTVs everywhere seemed to focus on him. The man clicked his tongue and held his briefcase tightly.

It was in the middle of summer. The heat was biting but Usami made sure he was wearing his best suit. He could well pretend to be a high-profile lawyer with his appearance. He could look dazzling and wealthy when he wanted to. Today, it wasn't like he was very excited. He just have to be neat and well presented since he was headed to the country's facility for wealthy minors who have impending cases.

"The hell is this place..." Usami mumbled, looking at the white statues that seemed to be guiding him towards the main entrance of the facility. "If I will be held in prison here...it's not bad..." he snickered.

The automatic sliding doors gave way for Usami Akihiko. And then he was led into a small room where everything of what he was carrying was inspected. After a few minutes, he had to fill out forms and get an approval with the management. And before Usami burst into a flame of impatience, he was issued an ID and a certificate allowing him to come in and come out of the facility.

"You really need to do something with that impatience and hot head of yours..."

Usami who loosened his tie turned around. He openly gave the woman who spoke to him with a flaring glare.

"Are those guys really sure they don't have to take bacteria scan on me?" Usami hissed. "This place is suffocating, damn it."

Aikawa giggled. "That's to be expected. Young kids here with cases are all wealthy. The posibility of being kidnapped is high whether they're suspects or not."

Usami rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

The woman raised her arm, as if showing Usami the way. "Well then...your client is waiting for you."

* * *

While walking the seemingly endless hallway and stairs, Aikawa filled Usami with the newest outcomes of the investigation. The relatives of the Takahashi Family was so outraged that they appealed to the courts to freeze whatever was in the suspect's name. All of them were in the impression that the reason why a reclusive teenager could do such a crime was to get inheritance early.

"This facility has suites. Each of the kids here are being taken care of properly...one wouldn't feel that the people here have grave impending cases...if you look closely, the walls are even padded, no other stuff from home can be taken in here..."

A tall young man passed them by. His hands were inside his pockets and he had a grim look on his face, but he lightened up and nodded at Aikawa, ignorning Usami entirely.

"That boy stabbed his math instructor on both eyes with his pen. The instructor turned blind..." Aikawa mumbled softly.

"In short, people here have really lose screws in their heads," Usami remarked sarcastically.

"Tsk, Usami..." Aikawa shook her head, his curls following forth as she stood in front of a huge mahogany door. "Here's where your client is staying..."

Softly, Aikawa knocked. There wasn't any response after Aikawa's knocks. The woman licked her lips and smiled at Usami.

"Sorry...the kid sleeps through out the day mostly. He probably fell asleep due to waiting. We can just wait a little until he wakes up..."

Usami scoffed. "What the hell? It's just one in the afternoon. You expect me to sit nicely and wait for the little prince to grace me his presence?"

Aikawa patted Usami on the shoulder and walked ahead. "Come on, you could read the entire findings while we're waiting for him."

The ticking of the clock, to Usami's surprise seemed to double its speed. The folders laid before him were thick and mind boggling and mostly, stomach churning. Witnesses' statements, autopsy findings, relatives' speeches, Takahiro's statement, the media, the police, everyone just have to say something contrary to the star of the case who hasn't said a word about it. Absorbing everything was too time consuming that he totally forgot about the rest of his annoyance and second thoughts of becoming really a part of this reality-show like rollercoaster.

Five empty cups of coffee were on the table as well. They were even better than what Usami could get from the nearest coffee shop near his near-collapsing office. Closing the last page of the last folder he had skimmed, he surprisingly wasn't feeling tired at all. Caffeine rush perhaps?

_"With all these hard evidences..." _he flicked the folder once and glanced at the so popular name at that time_. "Takahashi Misaki...this defense lawyer here is just going to be a display. Everything strongly seals this case."_

He whistled coolly, appreciating the pretty view outside the window. The sun wasn't strong enough anymore hinting that it was about to say its goodbye for the day. Aikawa left some hours ago for a police meeting and said she'll be back. So Usami had the huge, more spacious than his whole office combined, private room.

"Well...even if I just stand there...it would be impossible not to get a huge amount of money just by defending this murderer...suck it up..."

As if there was cold air that brushed at Usami's neck, the man suddenly had the urge to look behind him. The door was slightly ajar. A shadow moving away.

_"Shit! Just great!"_

He jumped over the sofa to the other side and ran towards the door. When he dashed outside and looked on both sides of the hallway, he saw a small figure slowly moving away. That sadness from the form's back took Usami a few seconds to move.

Damage has been done, Usami just have to be thick-skinned about it like he always did.

"Hey! Wait!" he ran, calling to the snail-paced brunette walking away. "Takahashi Misaki? Right?"

The kid stopped and looked at Usami. He looked so sickly like he'd collapse any minute. The eye-bags on his eyes were great. The dryness of his lips visible. And there wasn't just any youthful glow left on the face. He was like a walking corpse. A walking dead body.

"I'm your..." Usami found it a bit awkward since he could tell that his client heard him earlier as clear as the coming night. "...Your lawyer. Nice to meet you?"

Misaki's lips curled up a bit. He didn't say anything though and resumed walking.

_"Oi...don't try my patience and good-act here you brat...!" _Usami started walking in pace with the brunette and just watched the kid trace the wall with his fingers as they walked along.

"I have no achievements I can brag about you know. And I need money to be honest," said Usami, sensing the teen's reaction. So far, none. "I'm frank and straight to the point and reading all the stuff about the case...you're likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment when you become 18. This defense farce is like for closing formality..."

The kid just listened.

"Are you listening to me?"

Misaki nodded.

"You don't take this case seriously do you?"

The boy nodded.

_"For real?" _Usami inhaled. "Do you have any idea of how dreadful being confined is?"

Misaki gazed up and nodded. That took Usami by surprise. Some of his other questions disappeared into thin air. The man cleared his throat and asked for a simple one.

"Are you guilty?"

The kid with lifeless eyes stared hard at Usami's eyes for a few seconds. "Maybe."

"Huh?"

"I have nothing to pay you, Usami-san. And the case is already decided more or less. Anywhere is better..."

Usami didn't know where the kid got the sudden speed. In no time, Takahashi Misaki, had created a huge distance before he disappeared into one of the rooms. Left standing alone in the middle of nowhere, Usami ran his hand over his face, other hand on his hips.

_"Wait...did the gold just turn to stone?"_

Wanting to laugh, he traced his way back to the private room where Aikawa left him. He was expecting that Aikawa would be there already. There was someone inside the room, but it wasn't the woman. It was the same man Usami Akihiko had seen on TV that morning. Takahashi Takahiro, the closest person to Takahashi Misaki.

The tall man, wearing eyeglasses and casual clothes smiled warmly at Usami. The other could only think that this may be the luck, not that gloomy brat who didn't care if he'd be convicted or not.

"Hi. I'm Misaki's brother, Takahashi Takahiro..."

"Usami Akihiko," the silverhaired man replied, grabbing the hand that was extended to him. He almost wanted to hold it longer but had to draw away. "I am just on my way back..."

"Misaki rejected you?" Takahiro asked. He exasperatedly looked away, gritting his teeth. "You're the eleventh..." he then motioned for Usami to sit. "Please, may I take a bit of your time?"

_"Take all, I don't mind."_

Sitting on the sofa across Usami, Takahiro just looked at Usami for a long while. "I'm...I'm sorry...but I don't think I've seen you before...in what Law Firm are you working for?"

Usami laughed, not feeling an ounce of shame. "I'm a loner. And mostly handled small cases. So I wouldn't really be seen."

Takahiro nodded a bit. He didn't show any disapproval or ill-judgement. He just looked at the folders on the low table that Usami was just reading a while ago.

"I would be very honest. I'm being pressured by the family relatives...they wanted to have my brother convicted for a life time...but he's still my brother...so even if he doesn't care I still want him to at least fight back. He couldn't have killed our parents with no reason at all."

Usami listened intently. He liked even this man's voice. He was really an epic fail as a professional.

"With the accused being like that with a 'I'm guilty come on lock me up' attitude, it's going to be tough," Usami threw in, crossing his long legs. "He doesn't want to defend himself and to be honest, I hate huge cases..."

Takahiro's face grew a shade of disappointment. "Look...you don't have to tell my brother about this...but I can take care of the legal fees. Please...just do something, anything. Just a loophole..."

"Wait..."

"He refuses anything that comes from me...believe me, my brother is a sweet kid. He couldn't even kill an insect. I admit I was shocked initially...but this is just impossible. If I don't believe in him, no one's going to..."

Takahiro took a folded envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table. Usami knew it was a cheque. "Here...This may look rude, but all I could do is still support my brother from the shadows. As the eldest son, I have to take responsiblity of the company and the angry relatives...it's draining me..."

During Usami's ride back home without waiting for damned Aikawa, Usami thought this was an opportunity to get close to a man with a large circle of wealthy people. So what if the kid had no will to redeem himself. He could act all he wanted and get a taste of the top-class world he could only watch from afar.

"Fifteen-million as initial payment? Not bad..." Usami whispered, increasing his speed. He started chuckling. "Let's be close then now Misaki-dear. Gotta make a good impression on your brother."

* * *

**chapter end notes:**

tbc.

_-_shuusetsu

_reminder: this is my legal universe so i can manipulate anything but will try to stick with reality as close as possible. i just thought, Usami has a degree anyway...make him use it XD_

_ps. the cover art i made for this could be seen in both my tumblr accounts._


	2. Tainted Soul

**Guilty Hearts**

**II**

**Tainted Soul**

* * *

The next three days seemed so futile. The kid wouldn't even face Usami Akihiko at all. A worried Aikawa just watched Usami pace back and forth in that large private room. Anywhere in that facility was screaming wealthy that sometimes, it makes the people forget that they were in a place that holds young people with grave cases. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence. It was meant to be that way.

Amidst the inhuman murders, violence or anything from these kids, they're still the cream of the crop. That will never change. Whether being rich has a huge impact on a case as to they can pay the best lawyers and do some back door dealings, this case, because the Takahashi's were well-known, it wasn't showing any positive effect for Takahashi Misaki. If anything, the whole world was thirsting for revenge for the death of important people fast.

"You're kind of very proactive now...it's creepy..." Aikawa mumbled, wearing her police uniform revealing her curves. "The hearing's in one week...this...I am afraid this case will just end like this."

Usami lifted his lavender eyes towards the woman. "I haven't been this serious in years. As if I'd let that happen?" Shutting the folder he had been reading over and over, he growled in frustration. "The doctors and psychiatrists were reaching their limit as well. Takahashi won't talk at all..."

Aikawa walked over to the sofa. A briefcase she was carrying earlier was what she started busying herself with. She took a new folder and threw it on the table.

"The other party got another strong evidence Usami...do you think there is still...I mean...that kid just doesn't seem to..." Aikawa slouched on the sofa. "This whole thing is focused on _tycoons-being-killed by-their-own-son_. They don't see _the-son-may-have-a-strong-reason-to-it _side at all. It pisses me off that the media has already painted Takahashi as the villain with no heart already!"

The man grabbed the folder and skimmed at it. His eyes fastly running as he read the lines, his forehead started forming these creases, signalling a problem. He was already well into acting the good defense lawyer. But this new finding was going to make his act cut short in a giffy.

"Damn this..." Usami whispered. "When did they find this?"

Aikawa shrugged. "Last night when they searched the boy's room again."

"A fucking notebook with only these words?"

The woman gave a tight smile.

Usami Akihiko just stomped out of the private room and went to Misaki's room. He didn't care that it was already eight in the evening. This time, he'd force the kid to get up, insomiac, sleeping in the bathroom, he didn't care. He was getting tired of playing chase and he would get a word from the kid right then and there.

"I'm coming in!" he announced. He thought the door would be locked, but it let him in with no resistance at all. The whole room was dark, save from the light coming from the summer night sky through the ceiling to floor windows.

"Takahashi?" he called.

Looking around into an empty room, he felt an air of eeriness. It was weirdly chilly, like he stepped into a mosoleum. He drew a deep breath, hands on his waist and swallowed his irritated voice replaced by a much, sincere-thoughtful-sounding voice. He could be a voice actor if his law practice wouldn't turn for the better after this.

"I know you're listening," Usami started, slowly pacing the room with his eyes darting to everywhere. "I'm serious. I may be for all the money at first...but...I'm really here to help you."

Usami cocked his head to the side, seeing the lights from the comfort room's ajar door. He walked towards it slowly, not making any sound.

"Everything has a reason...if you just cooperate, we can try into finding away to clean your name. I really want to help you, " of course that was a lie.

The man waited for a response. Right when he was already standing before the door, he waited more minutes. But nothing came. Losing out of patience, he again loosened his tie, a habit he does when he was about to go amock.

"Look, last night, they found a note in one of your stuff," Usami continued. "You wrote 'I hate them' and nothing else. Unfortunately this just pushes you deeper into the case...but I _need_ to know, why did you hate them?"

When no one replied, Usami pushed the door to the bathroom open cautiously. It was empty.

_"What the heck?"_

The carpeted floor was drowning his footsteps as he went near the empty bed. For a kid who sleeps throughout the day, the bed was impossibly well kept. Not a crease, not a sign of being used at all. Still covered in bluish lights of the night, Usami walked around. He then noticed something weird.

He carefully walked before a huge wooden cabinet. The end of what seemed like a thin bedsheet was sticking from its doors.

_"Wait a minute..."_

Usami lifted a hand, slowly reaching for the cabinet's handle. "Takahashi...? Are you in there?"

He heard a few sounds like how a rat would in hiding. He didn't know what to expect in this, but he held the handle carefully anyway and pulled it open abruptly.

* * *

This meeting every night has become a chore to Takahashi Takahiro. The entire Takahashi Family from the farthest to the sisters and brothers of his father were all discussing how to put Misaki in the tightest spot.

The long marble table was full of folders and cups of coffee. Every man and woman had stern looks on their faces. Cold and such heartless ambiance was prevailing in that household. Takahiro, who couldn't remember the last time he slept on his bed threw a glare at the oldest members of the family who were acting as the spokespersons of the rest of his father's side.

"Why are you all so antagonistic with Misaki, Uncle Juun? And you Auntie Reina, all of you don't know Misaki. You have never talked to him. So why now are you taking so much interest in this case?"

This Uncle Juun, who was about fifty in age crossed his arms across his broad and still sturdy chest. "That's natural! Our big brother has been killed in that way! Do you expect us to just sit here and wait? We want a fast result! Besides, aren't all the evidences pointing to that bastard already!?"

"Uncle!" Takahiro shouted, wanting to throw the folder to the man's face but held himself in check.

"Well, Takahiro..." the woman who had lots of make-up on her face raised a brow. "Why are you so protective about that kid? He isn't even blood-related! He isn't even a _real _Takahashi!"

"So what if we're not blood-related? He's still my younger brother..."

"Hmmft..." Uncle Juun snorted, tapping his finger on the table haughtily. "He is that woman's son with her first husband right? When he died, she had to marry your father to keep their business afloat. Ten years ago, your father just brought them here like that, who knows if that Misaki has gone crazy and is really after money?"

Takahiro gritted his teeth. If not for his father's will, perhaps these old people wouldn't even take the effort to look into this alleged murder of their brother, his father.

It caused a stir because of that will. Most of the Takahashi wealth, for no heavy reason was named after Takahashi Misaki. It was clearly stated in the documents that all estates outside the country will be transfered to the teen's name once he reaches twenty. It was a mystery, adding the condition included in it.

_"Takahashi Misaki, the son of my second wife, will receive the stated amount and properties at the said date, provided he meets a simple condition. He should never be involved in anything that would tarnish his and the Family's name. Once a particular event tainting his name and the family occured, it will all be transferred to the chosen charity institutions..."_

Right the instant Takahiro saw those lines from the will, to him it sounded like a threat drizzled with gold. However, he held his tongue inside his mouth and didn't voice out any of his own worries.

"And you say he would kill his own mother too?" Takahiro hissed. "Misaki and I may not be blood-related but he's still a part of this family. I know him better than all of you do. It feels as if you don't want him to be able to defend himself, fast-tracking the case. Why do I feel like it's you who are after _my_ family's wealth?"

Everyone on that table fell silent.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Usami flatly asked this supposed to be young master of the Takahashi Main Family who was currently inside the cramped cabinet. The kid had wrapped himself in the whitebed-sheet and was biting down on his nails. Usami hadn't seen it right away. But it had gone severely the kid's fingers were already bleeding. When Usami realized this, he wouldn't deny it, he had goosebumps all over his body.

"Oi..."

The kid blinked at Usami, as if he was looking at a distance. He continued biting down on his nails with such hurry and strenght. Usami stepped back. It was no different than watching a horror film all of a sudden that he pulled the hand away from Misaki's mouth and dragged him out of the cabinet.

_"What the hell is wrong with this kid?!"_

Usami wasn't really the gentle type of person. He uncaringly shoved the kid onto the bed and opened all the lights in the room, the lights on the ceilings and even the bedside table. Looking at the kid then with all the lights exploding in all directions, he didn't know what to do, whether to call a medic, a psychiatrist or what.

He roamed his lavender eyes around and saw an intercom on the way. He took huge steps to get there, the kid grabbed to his coat with his bleeding nails.

"Don't."

"Look at you. You're a fucking mess and scares the hell out of me," Usami turned his back. The kid gripped tighter. "WHAT?! You're staining my coat!"

"If they see this...they'll think I'm crazy..."

Usami scowled. "And do you think you're not?"

Takahashi Misaki finally let go and sat on the edge of the bed obediently.

"Tsk..." the older man walked towards the bed, turning away from the intercom. "My job is to defend you...not to baby sit you okay?" Usami started searching his pockets for his handkerchief and used it to one by one wipe off the bloody fingers of his client. "Although even defending you now looks so impossible...damn it..."

Silent, Misaki just watched his fingers disappear and reappear from under the older man's touches. When the blood was wiped off, he lifted his gaze at the man's face. He didn't seem to be the shying away-type contrary to what Usami had labelled him.

"What?" Usami mumbled, going to the other hand. There wasn't a sign of any callouse. Clearly the little prince hasn't lifted a finger for a house chore. Somewhere that seemed odd though.

"Why are you insisting of becoming my defense lawyer when you are saying yourself that I don't have a chance?"

_"Because of money...what else?" _Usami exhaled. "I'll tell you one talent I have kiddo."

Misaki just looked at his hand, not eager but not looking uninterested as well.

"I am pretty lazy but when I get serious, I make miracles happen."

The kid gave a small laugh. "I do believe in miracles."

"Really now?"

"Hmmm...I started believing in them that night when father and mother were bathing in their own blood."

Usami fell silent. The kid beside him still looked like a ghost. And coming from those chapped lips those unacceptable words only made Misaki's case hard for the both of them.

"Listen up," Usami shifted from his position, turning his body so that he'd be facing the kid better. "I'll give up this case."

Misaki's eyes widened.

"I will if you say to me honestly and truthfully that you did kill your parents. I'll leave you alone. Until then, I will not allow you to be sentenced to anything that easily..." Usami wanted to puke.

The green eyes looked away. He started fidgeting on his spot and the next thing Usami knew the boy was laughing.

"Honestly?" Misaki asked. "Truthfully?"

_"God this kid is really mad..."_

"Usami-san. Honestly...I don't know. And truthfully...maybe."

"What the hell's that- I mean, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I sometimes daydream...who knows I've acted out what I really wanted to do?"

Usami ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. It was better to drown himself in millions of files than talk to this weird thing.

"So you did want to kill them?" Usami asked cautiously.

"So much it's the only thing I could think of," Misaki straightly answered.

Usami searched the lifeless green eyes for a long time. He looked for any sign of joking, or teasing, or lying. He had seen numerous people lie at his face. And he could tell right away if they do. It was saddening to see that the kid was as transparent as clear waters. He wasn't lying at all.

Usami inched closer. Their voices becoming softer and softer. Usami could feel that something was coming. It was coming closer and though this was just an act of the good-defense lawyer. He was interested how this kid's head worked.

"Takahashi..." Usami called softer than a whisper. Afraid that any loud noise would make the crazy kid run back to his sealed world called 'cabinet'. "Why do you hate your parents so much?"

"If I...if I really killed them...is it that bad?" Misaki asked instead. "Is it that bad to have them die for not treating me like I am human?"

At first it didn't sink to Usami's mind. He just looked at the boy's profile with fake interest when something clicked inside his puzzled head.

"Treating you how_?" _

Misaki tilted his head towards Usami. He was smiling in a weird way that Usami stood on both of his feet without realizing it.

It only started as soft trembling from the boy's lips. It spread like a shockwave then from his chest to his whole body. There wasn't any tear from the boy's eyes. He had ran out of them for a very long time ago and his system refused to produce any. He was as dry as a desert.

"Me and my dad used to fuck behind my mother's back. Literally..." Misaki whispered, glaring at Usami. "He loves fucking his son like an animal on that bed just beside his wife . And my mom acted like it wasn't happening..."

"Hold on...what?"

"Papa...papa..."Misaki pulled his knees on his chest, his huge eyes growing more and more distant. "Mama would wake up..." Misaki mumbled softly and sweetly and then in a blink of an eye, Misaki's expression changed into an angry one. "That's how he wanted it. Playing that sickly game...And mom?" Misaki narrowed his eyes as if he was actually seeing what he was saying. "...she pretended it's not of a big deal. Because she couldn't bear to live a poor life if she divorced him. She spends money faster than anybody else. So she preferred to make me a human sacrifice..."

Misaki smiled. "Mister is it bad to kill them?"

Usami was dumbstrucked.

"Is it bad to hate them?"

Misaki started crying a tearless cry, still looking up at Usami who had gone immobile.

"I really don't know if I acted out my dreams and killed them...but I was so happy when they died..."

It was only that time that Usami Akihiko finally saw a trace of 'human' in Misaki. He was angry. He was miserable. And he was confused.

Usami exhaled, inexplicably tired all of a sudden. Usami just knelt on the floor and held the boy's shaking hands in his.

"Takaha-...no...Misaki?" Usami called. "Misaki...this is going to play a huge role in your case..."

The boy glared at Usami. With such strenght not even possible that the boy could still possess, he pulled his hands away.

"I don't intend to tell the whole world that I was raped!"

"LISTEN TO ME!" Usami shouted. "You have to tell them what was happening inside that huge house of yours! We can perhaps lower your sentence by presenting the whole thing as an act of defense from...from violence, sexual abuse..."

"I don't want to humiliate myself! I better be accused to be a murderer than someone who's been fucked every single chance there was for the last six years!"

"..."

Usami swallowed his anger at the boy's hard-headedness. Jaws working in irritation, Usami sat on the bed, his weight sending it creak for a few while. "Look, this isn't logical...think about it this way. You've been abused, and after that, you're going to the prison for a life time? Does that make any sense to you?"

"I told you, I don't know!" Misaki shouted. "Maybe I did kill them! The evidences are all pointing at me don't they! I don't remember a thing! When I came to my senses I was standing with my hands full of blood! What else is there to deny!?"

The older man looked out the window and tried to put his thoughts in order. He had wanted the kid to talk. And when he finally did, Usami found himself bombarded with all these heavy revelations it made him tired all of a sudden.

When he looked back to his silent companion, Misaki was biting down on his nails again.

"Tsk...stop doing that," Usami gently pulled the hand away. He had no energy to be angry anymore. "Look...your fingers on your hand will soon fall off."

The kid balled and opened his left fist frowning.

Usami watched the pinkish tips of the kid's fingers. There was a rush in his blood that was telling him something was wrong in that hand. Something so small that he couldn't directly point out. This itch and irritation of not being able to discern what it was made Usami crease his fine brows.

The kid was biting on the nails of his fingers on his left hand more frequently. The thin wrist watch was on the left-side as well. When he was wiping off blood from the boy's hands, the right one didn't have any callouse. Yet finally remembering, the other has, it even showed signs of blisters.

"You...you're left-handed aren't you?" Usami asked almost to a whisper.

The kid made an open-close motion with his left hand and innocently gazed at Usami. "What does it matter?"

Usami just chose to keep it for himself first. He could sense something was amiss from all the files he had just read and to this. He watched with growing irritation as Misaki started, once more, to bite down on his nails.

"I told you...kiddo...try not doing that..."

"You see..." Misaki raised his left hand. The torn nails, the bleeding flesh looked like it hurt a big deal. If it did, the boy had so much guts not to even flinch. "If I don't do this...I can't calm down...I hate it yet I crave for it. Sex I mean," the boy chuckled. "That's how hideous I've become..."

The older man watched the kid bite his own nails. The strange thing was it was as if Usami's finger tips were tingling as well.

* * *

**chapter end notes:**

tbc. thanks for the time! XD

-shuusetsu


End file.
